Mongolian Hot Pot

We dug this up in a magazine called Cooking Light, which is sold in the States; we used to have a subscription. The recipes are supposed to be better for you. I mean, it can't all be cream and butter all of the time. So we whipped this up, and it makes 6 servings. It was pretty good, though I found myself adding a little more soy, hoisin and crushed red pepper flakes at the end to bring the spice and saltiness level to my taste.

2-½ tablespoon ginger, grated, fresh
2 tablespoons soy sauce
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
225 g flank steak, or skirt steak, thinly sliced and cut into 1 1/2" lengths
2 garlic, large cloves, minced
450 g bok choy, thinly sliced
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 cup carrots, cut into julienne
½ cup scallion, thinly sliced
2 cups hot water
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
28 ounces beef broth
110 g soba noodles, uncooked, buckwheat (or substitute egg noodles)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1-½ teaspoon sesame oil, divided use
soy sauce, to taste

Combine the first five ingredients in a large zip-top bag and seal. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 1/2 hours, turning occasionally.

Heat a small dutch oven over high heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add the beef mixture to the pan; stir-fry one minute or until browned. Remove the beef mixture and set aside.

Add bok choy, mushrooms, carrot and scallions to pan, stir-fry for two minutes or until bok choy begins to wilt. Add water, hoisin and broth; bring to a boil. Stir in noodles. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes or until noodles are done. Stir in beef mixture and vinegar. Ladle 1-1/2 cup of soup into each of 6 bowls. Drizzle each serving with 1/4 teaspoon of sesame oil. Serve.